152 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Atitumn Flowers* 



As with early (spring flowers, there is a peculiar 

 attraction about many of our autumn flowei-s. 

 As if to compensate for the fast passing glories 

 of the flower season they seem to take on wai'mer 

 and richer hues as the summer wanes and autumn 

 passes into winter. Just now, in the latter half 

 of September, the garden is a blaze df colour, 

 which, if the weather continues at all favourable, 

 will carry on into October. IMany annuals are 

 still beautiful, notably the Lavateras, of \\hich 

 the variety Loveliness is one of the best. I'hlox 

 Drummondii, in various colours, is still brilliant, 

 and so, too, is Zinnia Haageana, a most useful 

 half-hardy animal which gives much useful colour 

 in autumn, and is nice for cutting. Ten Week 

 Stocks were never finer than this year, and 

 tlowered for an abnormally long time, even yet 

 being quite bright. 



Many of the perrennial herbaceous plants are 

 now at their best, and pi'ove conclusively that well 

 grown and judiciously selected there is nothing to 

 beat hardy plants for a 

 display. JJespite war- 

 time economy, and con- 

 sequently less attention 

 than usual, the borders 

 are a great attraction. 

 Masses of perennial 

 Sunflowers, Eudbeckias, 

 Heleniums,Anemone;jap- 

 onica, Aconitum Wilsoni, 

 ^Michaelmas Daisies, 



Kniphofias, Gladiolus 

 brenchleyensis, tlentiana 

 asclepiadea, especially 

 Perry's varietj , all com- 

 bine to make the her- 

 baceous garden a source 

 of much pleasure in 

 autumn. 



Border Chrysanthe- 

 mums and Dahlias, too, 

 though requiring propa- 

 gation annually, are less 

 trouble than many tender 

 bedding 'plants, and yield 

 a glorious display as well 

 as abundant material for 

 cutting. 



The colours of many of 

 the Michaelmas Daisies 

 are difficvdt to describe, 

 but they range through 

 Avhite, pale blue, mauve, 

 lilac and pink, and make 

 a lovely display ; some 

 of the best now flowering 

 are F. W. Burbidge, Pic- 

 colo, H. C. Pulling, Lady 

 liloydv Saturn, Nancy 

 Ballard, cordifolius 



Diana, cordifolius magni- 

 ficus, Mirifique, Glory of 

 Colwall, Corona, &c. 



Of border Chrysanthe- 

 mums now flowering and 

 full of buds the following 

 are good : — Well's Massie, 



civeamy white : Ethel Monkeith 



Blades, crimson ; Tottie, 



orange and yellow ; Horace Martin, deep 

 yellow ; Clima:-:. double yellow ; Betty Sparks, 

 double pink : Cranford White ; Cecil Wells, 

 reddish buds opening deep yellow : Alice, semi- 

 doulde bronzy crimson ; J. J. Hart, dwarf bright 

 yellow ; Amber Gem ; Goacher's Bronze, and 

 Yvette Richardson, single crimson. 



Some noteworthy perennials are Helenium 

 autumnale rubrum, bearing masses of deep 

 crimson flowers ; H. Rivei'ton Gem, golden 

 yellow with dai'k centre ; Budbeckia Herbstonne, 

 growing 0-7 feet high and bearing imniense elear 

 yellow flowers : Helenium Gailensonne has fine 

 large yellow flowers with dark centres. 



Anon. 



Large Potatoes. 



Thk present year, which is remarkable for the 

 large number of Potatoes planted, will no doubt 

 produce some records in yield and size. We are 

 indebted to ]\lr. Angus Slater, of The Gardens, 

 Ballinacor, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow, for the 

 opportunity of illus- 

 trating some remarkable 

 tubers grown by him, 

 and of which he writes as 

 follows : — " The variety 

 is Flounder grown in 

 ordinary garden soil in 

 drills with a light dres- 

 sing of manure spread in 

 the drills, the " sets " 

 planted on the manure, 

 then a final sprinkling 

 of Al fertiliser (Paul ic 

 Vincent). 1 may say the 

 soil is of poor quality and 

 gravelly. They were plan- 

 ted on February 28th. 

 The largest weighed 2 lbs. 

 10 ozs. and the four 

 weigh 6 lbs. 2 ozs. I 

 remeiuber reading in a 

 liOndon pictorial paper 

 that a Potato had come 

 under their notice weigh- 

 ing 2 lbs. 8 1 ozs., and 

 they wished to know if 

 that were a record. 

 Can the one 1 have sent 

 you be beaten ? In spite 

 of the large size it is a 

 very good cooker in the 

 skin, turning out. as we 

 commonly say. like a 

 ball of flour. We grow 

 other early varieties 

 also, viz. — New Success. 

 Duke of York, Sharpe's 

 Victor, Beauty of Hebron 

 and the CJolleen. I'^We 

 lifted the two first named 

 on the 23rd of June, «nd 

 a better turn out I have 

 not seen for many a day. 

 Sharpe's Victor was a 

 failure. Beauty of Hebron 

 very good, and as for the 

 Colleen, it is hard to 

 beat for a good second 

 early, a very heavy 



WiGTOWXSniKE, p. 149. 



